The Raging Ones (The Raging Ones #1) by Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie (ARC) - Review

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Franny, a Fast-Tracker teen, dreams of dying with wealth she’s never known. Like everyone else, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday - until she does. Court knows wealth as well as pain. After five years in prison, he wants a life beyond all of that. Mykal, a Hinterlander who is willing to fight for those he cares for, shares a connection with Court which becomes more chaotic when they meet Franny. To avoid discovery by those who know they've seemingly escaped the impossible, they'll have to take drastic action and leave the planet. They'll have to hide their unique connection and manage to earn a place on the newest space mission against thousands of potential candidates.

The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer. I was really looking forward to it and had very high expectations even though I had never read anything from these authors before. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped. It wasn't a bad read and it didn't quite fall flat, but I didn't find it as addicting or as put together as I was expecting. It certainly has its moments, but in the long run for me I found it too mediocre to truly stand out among other 2018 releases. I will say that my favorite aspect, though, is the world-building which is always great for an intro into a sci-fi or fantasy world. The authors do a good job of fleshing out the world of our cast. I like that we get some answers about why things are the way things are in regards to the world like with the deathdays and the classes. The writing is quite visual which definitely lends itself to their descriptive writing. The authors also gave us some intriguing twists and turns throughout with the best for the cliffhanger ending. Finally, what really made this story fall short for me was our cast of characters. Franny, Mykal, and Court all came across as too flat and underdeveloped for my liking. I actually had a difficult time telling the three of them apart - even during their rotating perspective chapters. I could have been reading just one character rather than three. Let's just say I was grateful that each chapter listed the narrator because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

Overall, Krista & Becca Ritchie's The Raging Ones has a lot of potential as a YA sci-fi series with a lot to like about it especially when it comes to world-building and keeping the reader on their toes. However, it didn't quite live up to my expectations, mainly due to lax character development. You may want to try this novel for yourself if you like YA sci-fi with a dash of romance in a unique and clearly defined world. Thanks again for this opportunity, NetGalley.


I read this ARC from July 30 - August 5, 2018 and my review is also on Goodreads.  The Raging Ones will be released on August 14th.